Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

No. As the Minister of State has pointed out, the NESF was the first established, in 1993. Its purpose was to contribute to the formation of a wider national consensus on social and economic policy initiatives, particularly on unemployment, equality and social exclusion. I am pleased to have been asked by The Taoiseach to join the NESF. I share my membership with other Members of this House, namely, Senators O'Rourke, Mooney, Daly, Coghlan, Quinn and Kate Walsh.

In 1998, the Government asked the NESF to undertake a new role in the national policy process, mainly to focus on monitoring and analysing the implementation of particular measures and programmes identified in the social partnership arrangements, especially those concerned with achieving equality and social inclusion. The NESF has produced a wide range of influential policy reports and every member of this House is familiar with them as we have debated some of them here over the years. These provide a solid basis for facing future policy challenges.

The NESF had its term of office renewed in 2003 and in doing so the Government asked it to convene public consultations, particularly on policy issues, so that the Government may refer to it from time to time for examination. This strengthens the role given to the NESF. It provides the forum and individuals, as well as the members of the wider voluntary community and other sectors who make contributions to it that affect policy, which I know first-hand from having sat on the body.

Some of the reports produced by the NESF in recent years included Creating a More Inclusive Labour Market which was published in January of this year, and Care for Older People which was published in November 2005. I sat on the sub-committee which produced the latter report with Senator Kate Walsh, which gave me the first-hand knowledge to which I referred. I could see the valuable work done by voluntary members and groups, together with civil servants from the different Departments involved. The report, which was debated in this Chamber, made excellent recommendations. Another report was Early Childhood Care and Education, published in July 2005. The NESF is the one of three bodies about which I know most because I am a member of that body.

The second body is the National Economic and Social Council, established in 1973. The function of the council is to analyse and report to the Taoiseach on strategic issues relating to the effect of development of the economy, the achievement of social justice and the development of a strategic framework. The council is chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach and contains representatives of trade unions, employers, farming organisations, NGOs, key Departments and independent experts.

The third body is the National Centre for Partnership and Performance. The NCPP was established by the Government to support and drive change in the Irish workplace. The centre's remit is to enable organisations in the private and public sectors, through partnership, to respond to change, build capability and improve performance. The NCPP is currently finalising its new strategic plan, which will be published shortly.

The work of these organisations has contributed greatly to policy formation and implementing change. Through my work on the NESF, I have gained valuable insight into a wide variety of issues through interaction with representatives from the outside bodies and the various organisations represented on it. As the Minister of State outlined, this approach is all about partnership and is one with which I agree and would like continued. It is through such organisations that we, as legislators, will obtain these comprehensive reports, which are the blueprint for legislation.

Having listened to the contribution of Senator Ó Murchú, I believe the NESF can take a proud bow because it has played its part in the economic and social success that we experience today, a success of which we are openly proud. I commend the role of the chairperson of the NESF, Dr. Maureen Gaffney, and pay tribute to the members who sit alongside myself and Senator Kate Walsh for their fine contribution to the work of the committee.

As the Minister of State noted, this is not a Bill that one can really get one's teeth into. We have often had great debates and arguments in the House but this Bill is rather technical in nature. I shy away from technical things. Perhaps a woman would not really know what technical issues are about, no more than she would know how to hammer a nail into a wall. If it can hurt me, I do not go near it. I stay on a straight road. However, while the Bill is technical, I have some experience in that I sit on one of the bodies involved. My contribution is focused on discussing the important role of that body.

This debate is not about scoring points but I did not agree with the point made by Senator Brian Hayes regarding the Taoiseach's that this was all about examining the issues of education and health. The Government is not trying to take away from the role of Government or dilute the powers of Government in any way. It is showing leadership by including bodies such as these. The Government involves not just legislators and elected politicians but also the electorate in general, community groups and people who would heretofore have felt themselves to be outside of politics. It is in this way that the Taoiseach is showing leadership. If we are to say anything about the Taoiseach, he is certainly a man of the people. He is trying to be inclusive and bring everybody on board.

This is an important Bill. It is all about partnership, which has proven it can work well. I look forward to the contribution of Senator O'Toole, who knows more about partnership than any other Member of this House or the Lower House. I wish the Bill a speedy passage through the House. I commend the staff of the various bodies involved and look forward to the next Stage of the Bill.